Ice pick sheath



J. R. ROSE ICE PICK SHEATH Jan. 20, 1953 Filed Sept. 18, 1950 a E a M MO r. 2 m% V m 7 R a a H W R w n. W m m w 0 J 4 a 0.. R l fi mwiii"" wPatented Jan. 20, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ICE PICK SHEATHJoseph R. Rose, Denver, Colo.

Application September 18, 1950, Serial No. 185,456

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in ice pick sheaths, and moreparticularly to improvements in a sheath of the character described inPatent No. 1,933,171 issued to J. L. Hart on October 31, 1933.

Objects of this invention are to provide, in an ice pick sheath of thetype disclosed in the abovementioned patent, improved drainage andventilating means to permit the pointed shank of ice pick to dry quicklyafter it has been inserted into the sheath;'protection of the lowerportion of the sheath against wetting and swelling of the leatherforming the sheath, and the accomplishment of said ventilation andprotection with a saving of some leather and without complicating -'011tthe pick.

Figure 3 is a section as taken on the indicated line 3-3 at Fig. 1, buton an enlarged scale, and without the pick.

v Figure 4 is a section as taken on the indicated line 4--4 at Fig. 2,but on an enlarged scale.

Figure 5 is a section as taken on the indicated line 5-5 at Fig. 1, buton an enlarged scale, and without the pick.

Figure 6 is a section as taken on the indicated line 66 at Fig. 1, buton an enlarged scale and without the pick.

Figure 7 is identical with Fig. 3, but showing in full lines theposition of the lower end of the shaft of an ice pick, fully insertedthereinto.

Referring to the sheath illustrated in Patent 1,933,171, it is to benoted that a passage, there numbered 22, is provided at the bottom ofthe sheath, which provides drainage for any water which may be upon theice pick shaft at the time it is inserted in the sheath in position.However, in the actual use of this structure, the leather from which itis formed comes in close contact with the shaft and has a. tendency tosoak up or absorb water from the shaft of the pick before it can drainoff. This moisture causes the leather to swell out of shape, to grip theblade very tightly or prevent its entering the sheath at all. Moreover,the retained moisture in the leather tends to cause rusting of theblade; continual wetting of the sheath followed by subsequent drying, aswhen the pick is in use, causes distortion and deterioration of thesheath in a manner characteristic of leather. While such disadvantagesmight be obviated by the use of materials other than leather, it hasbeen found that leather is nevertheless the only suitable material forthe manufacture of ice pick sheaths of the character herein considered.Therefore, to avoid the abovementioned undesirable results whileretaining the advantages of the sheath illustrated in said patent, Ihave improved said structure by providing more effective ventilation anddrainage, protection of the leather from wetting and from theundesirable results thereof and have combined the features with areduction in the amount of leather required to form the sheath.

In the present invention, the sheath is formed upon a base Ill which isconstructed of a single piece of leather of a width and length toconform with the size of an :ice pick, or similar tool carried therein.The base In is provided with means, as belt clip H, at its rear upperportion, which is fastened to the base as by a rivet 12, or the sheetmay be slotted at the top or arranged in any other suitable manner forengagement with a belt in conventional style. The sheath is formed bysecuring to the base It! a pocket [3 which is preferably a single pieceof leather tooled to the general configuration of an ice pick l4,

shown as inserted in position, in broken lines at Fig. 1, the pockethaving its side marginal edges 15 attached to the backing sheet I!) asby stitching I6 or by rivets I! at the terminal corners thereof, or inany other suitable manner. The pocket in its entirety may of course varyin size and cross sectional contour to conform with the shape of thetool it is adapted to receive, although it is contemplated that it willbe formed with an upper enlarged portion 18 and will be tapered to anarrower portion 19, the enlarged portion 18 being adapted to receivepart of the handle of the ice pick l4 and the narrow portion [9 toreceive the shaft of the pick. A reinforcing plate 20 is placed againstthe base 10 end extends a substantial distance above the pocket entranceand a substantial distance downwardly into the pocket, to a pointadjacent the narrow portion, this reinforcing plate 20 being held inposition at the top by a rivet 2| and at the lower portion by theconfining action of the adjacent stitching H5. The function of thisplate 2|] is not only to reinforce and rigidify the sheathlongitudinally, but also to prevent the point of the pick fromcontacting and scraping the leather of the base 10, as when a pick isinserted into the sheath at an angle.

The above-described elements are generally disclosed in the said priorpatent and the present invention lies in the improvement of the lowerportion of the, sheath. The lower portion of the pocket lflf-i's tooledto taper to a narrowed section l9 which terminates a considerabledistance short of the lower end of the base, as at 22, and likewise aconsiderable distance short of the point of the shaft when the pick ispositioned within the sheath so that the point extends substantiallybelow the pocket lower edge 22. The tapered por-- tion I9 is larger incross sectionat point 22. than the cross section of the pick shaft sothat the shaft is spaced from the surrounding leather as: clearly seenat Fig. 7.

A'substantially U shaped metallic: member 24 encases the lower portionof the'sheath, one leg overlapping theback of'the base and the other legoverlapping the front of the. pocket and the legs beingsecured to thebase and pocket by rivets IT. This member has a longitudinal bulge 25;inv its frontal portion 26 to conform to-the exterior transverse contourof the narrowed section I 9 of the pocket. This bulge 25extends-longitudinally to'the-bottom of" the sheath, tapering intothe-flattened plane of the frontal portion 26 at" the bottom edgethereof. The portion 25 over:- laps the pocket I3 adjacent its loweredge 22 and is thereby spaced outwardly of the face of the base It),thus providing a substantial gap 2'! through which air'may passtoventilate the area between the portion 28 of the member and the base.as. clearly illustrated at Figs. 2 and. '7. This permits drying ofthe'shaft-in a minimum'of time and keeps the leather in this areadry.

While this improved bridged and open construction itself greatlyimproves thestructure of the ice pick. sheath, further improvement isattained by providing a groove 28 in the-base l belewthe loweredgeof thereinforcing plate 20, which is aligned with the position of an inserted'ice' pick shaft when lodged therein, and to facilitate any flow ofmoisture from the sheath Which may be retained above the edge 22 intothe open bridge space; and to further provide ventilation of thatportion of the sheath above the lower edge22,

A further improvement which may be-incorporated in combination.- withthe above-described features,, and. whichmay also beused-independently-thereof; is; a treatment of. the-leather formting thebase I!) and pocket l3, with various compounds of a plastic type whichpermanently attach themselves to the surface of such elements, and whichare of such a character as to form a water impervious surface to therebyprevent the absorption of water into the leather.

While I have described a preferred construction of my improved sheath,it is at once apparent that others skilled in the art can dev isealternative and equivalent constructions and arrangements, all of whichare withinthe scope and spirit of my invention, and hence I am not to belimited in my protection by the construction and arrangements hereindescribed, but only by the proper scope of the appended claims.

I claim:-

1. I-nv combination, a sheath for ice picks and like articles, includinga stiff leather base, a downwardly tapered, pick-conforming and grippingpocket secured at'it marginal edges to the base and a U-shaped metalmemb'ersecured. on and around the. lower end of the sheath, said pockethaving its lower terminus a substantial distance above. the bottom endof. the: base: and said U-shaped member having its back leg secured tothe back of the base and its front leg overlying the front of the baseand overlapping the lower end of the pocket whereby said front leg,below the lower end of the pocket, is spaced from the base by thethickness of. the material forming the. pocket and provides asubstantial open space around the lower endof the shaft of a pickpositioned in the pocket.

2. In a sheath as defined in claim 1, the interior of the lower end ofthe pocket having a cross.- section area larger than. that of the pickshaft, whereby a pick shaft when positioned in the pocket will benormally spaced from the walls of the pocket.

3. In a sheath. as defined in claim 1,,a. groove formedv in the frontfaceof the base andextendiing from the bottom of. the base to a pointabove the bottom of the pocket and parallel with the normal position ofa pick shaft when the pick is seated in the pocket.

JOSEPH R. ROSE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record. in theKuemmerlirigj Oct. 3, 1950

